Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, Verse 40

अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति । नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मनः

ajñaścāśraddadhānaśca saṃśayātmā vinaśyati | nāyaṃ loko'sti na paro na sukhaṃ saṃśayātmanaḥ

Translation

The ignorant, the faithless, and one of doubting self, is ruined. There is neither this world, nor the other, nor happiness, for one of doubting self.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

ajñaḥ

un-knowing

ca

and

aśraddadhānaḥ

non-believing

ca

and

saṃśayātmā

doubt, self, whose, he

vinaśyati

is destroyed

na

not

ayam

this

lokaḥ

world

asti

is

na

not

paraḥ

beyond

na

not

sukham

happiness

saṃśayātmanaḥ

of (for) the doubting-self

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

The man who knows not the Self is ruined, as also the man who has no faith in the teachings and the words of his Guru, and the man whose mind is full of doubts. No doubt the ignorant and the faithless are ruined, but not to the same extent as a man of doubting mind. He is the most sinful of all. Even this world which is common to all men is not won by a sceptic, nor the other world, nor happiness; for, even these things come within the sweep of his doubt. Wherefore thou shalt not doubt.